Advertising Age

Doug Spong, president of Minneapolis ad agency Carmichael Lynch, isn't sugarcoating the effect a tax on advertising would have.

It "would absolutely devastate our industry," Mr. Spong told the Minnesota House of Representatives' Taxes Committee on Feb. 28. "It would handicap all Minnesota agencies," he said, because they would have to raise their fees to cover the tax.

Mr. Spong is part of a broad coalition that is wasting no time trying to derail budget proposals by Minnesota and Ohio that would tax advertising sales.